Always Blue
by AliasCWN
Summary: Moffitt is wounded and needs to rest. Tully has just the solution.


**Always Blue**

By; AliasCWN

Jack Moffitt wrapped his arms around himself in an effort to conserve heat. Since darkness had fallen the temperature had dropped more than was normal for the season. After an encounter with a German patrol earlier in the day Moffitt was nursing a leg wound that was not life-threatening but painful just the same. The cold was causing it to throb like a giant toothache and the morphine Troy had given him had not done much to ease the pain. Cranky and uncomfortable, Moffitt had insisted that Troy go to bed and leave him alone since there was nothing more that could be done to help him. Even now he knew that the other sergeant was lying awake worrying about him. He was so lost in his own misery that he didn't hear Tully approach.

"Here, take this." Tully dropped a blanket over Moffitt's shivering form.

"I can't take your blanket." Moffitt protested through chattering teeth.

"It's not mine," Tully smiled as he dropped to the ground next to his sergeant, "its Hitch's."

"Well in that case." Moffitt chuckled and shivered at the same time. As Tully tried to tuck the blanket around him Moffitt surprised him by pushing it away. "I can't take Hitch's blanket either Tully. It's colder than blazes tonight and he's going to need it."

"Not until he comes off guard duty Doc." Tully argued. "And I have guard duty next so he can use my blanket." Tully pulled Moffitt's hand away from the blanket and carefully tucked the edges closer to the sergeant's shivering legs. "He won't even have to warm the blanket; I'll do that for him."

Feeling some of the chill start to retreat, Moffitt was sorely tempted to take Tully up on his offer. "I can't do it Tully; Hitch might want to wrap it around his shoulders while he walks the perimeter."

"Doc," Tully sighed, "Hitch sent me here with the blanket. He's wearing extra layers of clothing to keep warm. He says that he's fine."

"Of course he does, he always says he's fine." Moffitt grumbled. "Remember when he told Troy he was fine and then promptly fell out of his jeep? His definition of fine is nowhere near close to reality."

Tully smiled at his sergeant. "I remember Doc; and it wasn't just that one time either. I also seem to remember a few times when you did something similar."

"I don't remember ever falling out of my jeep." The sergeant grumbled in his own defense.

Tully shifted his body closer to his sergeant to share his body heat before he answered. Despite his continuing objections, Tully noticed that he hadn't pushed the blanket away again. Already Tully could see that the shivers that had wracked his body were less severe. Blood loss from the injury had weakened his resistance to the cold but the extra blanket seemed to be helping. "He doesn't want you and Sarge to think he's some weak kid who can't handle a little pain. I guess he just wants to do his job." Tully kept his head down and his voice low as he spoke.

"We would never think that….of either one of you."

Tully's breath caught in his throat at the second half of the comment.

"We've been together long enough that both you and Hitch have long since earned our respect. You've proven yourselves over and over again. To be truthful, there are times when Troy and I don't feel that we are worthy of your respect."

Tully's head popped up and he stared at his sergeant in surprise. "What do you mean? You and Sarge are probably the best men we know. Of course you deserve our respect! We'd follow you anywhere Doc."

"That is a lofty position to be in Tully. Has it ever occurred to you that we may not be able to live up to your opinion of us?"

"Nope."

"Tully."

"We're not kids Doc, not anymore. And we didn't give you our respect, you both earned it the hard way."

"While I do thank you for the compliment, we may have to agree to disagree on that point." The Brit mumbled with a reddening face.

"Hey Doc, now instead of being blue you're turning red!" Tully laughed at his friend's obvious discomfort.

Grateful for the change of subject, the sergeant mustered a tired smile for the private's benefit. "That's good to know Tully. For a while there I thought I might be permanently blue."

"I guess that wouldn't be all that bad Doc." The private grinned.

"Really? And just where would a blue man fit into this world? I'd probably be forced to join a traveling circus or freak show."

"Maybe not Doc, you could always move to Kentucky."

The sergeant was about to scoff at the idea but something about Tully's smug expression stilled his tongue. He studied his driver's face, looking for some sign that Tully was pulling his leg. Tully continued to grin at him without explaining his comment. Finally, not able to contain his curiosity, Moffitt asked the question he knew Tully was expecting. "Are blue people common in Kentucky?" As an Anthropologist, Moffitt needed an answer for his own satisfaction.

Tully immediately began to shake his head, seemingly confirming Moffitt's suspicions that he was being teased. Tully's next words took him completely off guard. "They aren't common but we do have a few of them."

"Blue people?" Moffitt tried to figure out the punchline before Tully could reveal the joke. "As in blue skinned people? No make-up or tricks, actual blue people?"

Tully was nodding now. "I never saw any of them… but my pappy did, once."

"Come on Tully, what's the catch?"

"No catch Sarge, real blue people, born that way."

Moffitt ignored the 'Sarge' in favor of more answers. "You mean their hands are blue… or their feet, when they're cold?"

"No Sarge, not just when they're cold, all the time. And not just their hands or feet either, all of them." Tully insisted. "Blue all over, and not a blue tinge, real blue skin."

"But how is that possible?" Ignored was the cold and the aching leg, the sergeant became so engrossed in the conversation that, for the moment, his injuries were forgotten. "Tully, real people are not blue."

"Tell that to the Fugate clan." Tully shrugged. "Only they might argue with you, cause they are blue." Tully paused for a moment. "Well, not all of them."

"That's what I mean Tully." Moffitt jumped at the contradiction. "Perhaps they have poor circulation in their hands and feet, but their entire bodies can't be blue!"

"Nope." Tully shook his head stubbornly. "My Pappy talked to a doctor who delivered a few of the babies, they're blue all over."

"You just said that they weren't blue all over." Moffitt said in exasperation.

"No, I said that they weren't all blue."

"It's the same thing."

"No it isn't." Tully argued patiently. "Not all of them are blue, but the ones who are blue, are blue all over."

Speechless, Moffitt waited for Tully to start laughing at his own joke but the private appeared to be completely serious. When Tully didn't elaborate Moffitt repeated the conversation in his head, and Tully was right, it wasn't the same thing. "But how is that possible? Are you sure it's not some kind of hoax?"

"Not as far as I know." Tully answered soberly. "Folks have been talking about the 'blue people of Troublesome Creek' since the late 1800's. Talk is that the first one was born to an immigrant and his Kentucky born wife. I guess folks sort of shunned them after the kid was born blue. I heard that they moved back into the mountains to get away from folks. The way my Pa tells it, they moved way back into the mountains to get away from all the regular people who made a big fuss about them. Maybe they figured that if folks could shun them then they could shun those folks right back."

"Are they still there?" Moffitt was surprised to find that he had accepted the possibility of blue people even though he knew it was highly improbable that they really existed. He just couldn't deny that Tully really believed the story and Tully was nobody's fool.

"Don't know." Tully shrugged. "There are stories that come around every now and then but I haven't heard any just lately. Who knows, maybe they all died out. Or maybe they're just getting better at staying out of sight."

"Real blue people." Moffitt's voice was filled with awe at the very thought. "After this war, wouldn't it be something to go to Kentucky and see them for myself." The sergeant's voice trailed off as he got lost in the possibility.

"They generally hide from strangers." Tully warned. "They don't like folks making a big fuss over them."

"No wonder." Moffitt answered, bringing his thoughts back to the conversation. "I imagine that there have been some people who have been somewhat unkind to them because of their skin color. Some people have no compassion for those who are different. But still, there must be some explanation for their affliction."

"Might be Doc, but so far no one has figured it out. Like you said, some folks just aren't tolerant of anyone who is different. Maybe being blue wouldn't be such a good thing."

"Mark my words Tully, if they still exist, someone will find them and find out why they are blue. No scientist worth his salt could resist such a puzzle."

"Maybe Doc, but they'd have to find them first. Folks in Kentucky are kind of secretive around strangers. If the Fugate clan doesn't want to be found then anyone looking for them is going to have a hard time of it."

"It will happen Tully." Moffitt sounded sure. "Maybe not this year, or the next, but it will happen."

"Well if it does, I hope that they don't try to get them to join any traveling circus. Those are real folks and they have real feelings. I'd hate to see them end up where other folks will be making fun of them for something they can't help at all. I bet that if they had a choice they wouldn't be blue either."

"You're right of course; I would hate to see that happen too. Hopefully they can someday lead normal lives around regular people without fear of being ostracized."

"Well Doc, it looks like you won't have to worry about sharing their fate; you're not nearly as blue as you were a few minutes ago." Tully made sure not to disturb the blanket as he rose to his feet. "Get some sleep Doc, I'm going to turn in, I have watch in a few hours. If you need anything just yell, I'll be close by."

"Thank you Tully, now that I'm warmer I am feeling a bit sleepy. Good night."

"Night Doc."

Tully passed Troy as he headed for his own blanket. In the dark he missed the smile that crossed the sergeant's face.

Troy watched as Tully walked past to his own bed. He listened as the private arranged his bedding and got settled. Moffitt's breathing had slowed and was now soft and steady, a sharp contrast to the earlier chattering of his teeth. As Troy crawled deeper into his own blankets he thanked whoever was responsible for sending his team to him. It never ceased to amaze him how they always found new ways to help each other when a need arose. Hitch's blanket and Tully's story had been just what Moffitt needed to forget his injuries and finally get some rest. With a tired sigh Troy fell asleep to the gentle breathing of the men on either side of him. 'Blue people, who ever heard of such a thing?'


End file.
